Home Fashioned Chocolates BlogWorld Famous Since 19642010-04-01T19:51:43ZWordPresshttp://www.mrscavanaughs.com/home-fashioned-chocolates-blog/feed/atom/adminhttp://www.mrscavanaughs.com/home-fashioned-chocolates-blog/?p=302010-04-01T19:51:43Z2010-04-01T19:46:37ZCherry Cordial Blues

Arriving at home

No longer alone

From a day’s long work

That has few perks

“I’m home” I cry

Silence my only reply

No kids to trample me

No love saying “Hi Sweetie”

In all of the still quiet

My stomach growls like a riot

“Go to the kitchen and munch”

“You haven’t fed me since lunch”

Towards the kitchen I creep

The place seems asleep

What awaits as I enter

To quell my hunger bitter?

Behold on the counter

I was surprised to encounter

Something better than berries

A box of chocolate cherries

I picked up the box

And as sly as a fox

Fancied why they were here

Of course, a gift from my dear

I fingered the treasure

And smelled it with pleasure

Hidden inside I knew

Was nature’s best dew

My teeth pierced a bit

Through the chocolate

And out ran the juice

On my tongue like a noose

I ate another then another

Like a bear in the summer

And fell on the couch

As I filled my pouch

Then I saw in the box

Hitting me like a pox

Words on a note

That my honey had wrote

“Happy Birthday dear sister

Who I missed in December

I know you like to eat

This your favorite treat”

Shocked and confused

And not a whit amused

I ran out the door

To avoid a big war

I arrived at the store

And opened the door

Mrs. Cavanaugh’s smile

Was long as the Nile

“How do you do?

Would you like Nuts & Chews?

A toffee or cream—

What is your dream?”

“To save my life

From the hands of my wife

Cherry Cordials I need

In a hurry, I plead”

I made it back home

No reason to moan

Nobody was there

But I had to stare

At the cherries I ate

Man they were great

And my stomach was happy

It was time for a nappy.

]]>0adminhttp://www.mrscavanaughs.com/home-fashioned-chocolates-blog/?p=272010-03-30T20:18:45Z2010-03-30T20:18:45ZHow Does That Juice Get Inside The Chocolate Covered Cherries?

Have you ever wondered how they put liquid cherry juice inside of chocolate covered cherries? I remember as a kid thinking about different ways I would put the juice inside of chocolate covered cherries. Whenever I would get chocolate covered cherries I would inspect them for a tiny hole. I used to think that they would inject the juice into the cherry with a syringe, but I never could find a hole.

The second idea I had as a youth on how to make chocolate covered cherries was they must make the liquid first. Then after placing a cherry inside of a small mold they would fill the mold the rest of the way with the liquid. Then I figured they must place it in the freezer and wait for the liquid to freeze. When the juice was frozen inside the mold they would pop out the frozen cherries and dip them. If you know anything about chocolate you cannot dip frozen products with really delicious silky smooth chocolate. The frozen center would make the chocolate “bloom,” meaning the cocoa butter separates from the chocolate. This makes the candy appear white and dull.

How chocolate-covered nuts are made is easy to figure out. All they would have to do is mix chocolate and nuts together and drop them on a belt or in a cup and they are finished. After working at Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolates for over 20 years I will have to admit it is a little more difficult than that but it’s close enough.

As a youth I thought of other ways to make chocolate covered cherries but to save time for this article I will move forward with my story. There are a couple ways we get the juice inside the chocolate shells. One way is to heat up the secret ingredients in a crock pot until they became a liquid paste. The cherries were dropped inside and scooped out. The coated cherries were then placed on a wax paper covered tray until they reached room temperature and dried. Once cool the cherries were twice dipped with chocolate. (Dipping them twice would ensure the soon-to-be liquid would not leak.) Once coated with chocolate, the secret ingredients would break down over the next few days and turn into cherry juice.

The second way we get the juice inside the cherry is by using a panning machine. For those who have never seen a panning machine, it is round with a hole on one end and spins like a clothes dryer but is angled up slightly. We first place the secret ingredients—a dry powder—in the spinning pan. Next we place moist cherries inside the pan. The ingredients begin to evenly collect on the cherries. While the pan is still rolling we spray secret liquid onto the cherries which allows additional powder to bond to the cherries. When they reach the perfect size they are then removed from the pan and dipped twice with chocolate.

It’s obvious that as a youth I never did figure out the real way to make chocolate covered cherries but it was fun imagining. If you have never tasted a Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolate covered Cherry Cordial then you are missing out on one of life’s pleasures. With one bite you can tell they are made with only the best ingredients money can buy. As a word of advice—always be careful when taking your first bite or that wonderful juice might end up on your chin!

]]>0adminhttp://www.mrscavanaughs.com/home-fashioned-chocolates-blog/?p=102010-01-23T00:36:10Z2010-01-23T00:05:47ZEven from the very beginnings when Marie Cavanaugh spent hours in her South Dakota farmhouse each Christmas season making pecan rolls and homemade chocolates for holiday gifting they were lovingly made one piece at a time.

“It started when my aunt sent her pecan-rolls recipe,” Mrs. Cavanaugh recalled. “I gave the recipe my own touch and started making the yummy specialties. Then I began dipping chocolates. Our friends and neighbors loved these treats, encouraging me to start a candy business. Finally in 1964, I decided it might be a good idea.’”

Her husband George and children Carla, Lorraine, Calvin, Colene and Genise rallied, helping Mrs. Cavanaugh fill demands for her homemade sweets. They soon out grew their farm home and relocated to their small rural town center and open up a store. In the process of the move they need to borrow money to begin their adventure. Money was tight back then especially from their local banker. This did not deter Marie she went in with a 2 lb box of her chocolates, after the banker devoured most of the box of chocolates she received all the money she needed and she also obtained her first large Christmas order from the banker. The rest is history.

The town of Gettysburg SD had more cows then people. Marie spent a lot of time on the road promoting her chocolates as far away as Wall Drug for all of the holidays including Christmas, Valentines, Easter, Mothers day and Fathers day. The small farming town was not large enough to support the business and Marie’s dreams, so in 1972, the family moved to Utah, leaving good friends and their beloved cattle ranch. “It was a difficult decision, especially for George,” Mrs. Cavanaugh said. “He was excited about making our new venture, which we chose to call Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Candies, a great success. We felt Utah was blessed with good chocolates and that we would enjoy – and could compete with – those who pride themselves on making excellent chocolates.”

Millions of pounds of chocolates later, Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Candies have earned a reputation for unquestionable excellence…and each piece is still made one piece at a time.

It all starts with rich thick crème fresh from the dairy, real creamy butter, hand selected nuts, and the best chocolate money can buy. The batches of candy our still cooked in the copper kettles still making small batches. Some of the caramels take almost 4 hours to cook giving it time to caramelize and bring out the natural flavor of caramel.

When the candy batch has cooled individual pieces are cut or rolled into small bite size tasty treats. All of the centers are coated by silky smooth chocolate and hand marked with their personal signature on top of the chocolate. There is lot of hand labor involved in making home-fashioned chocolates but it is worth every penny we spend people can taste the difference especially when you see the delight on their faces and they say “is this what chocolates really taste like”. After one bite they are hooked for life. Each box is carefully assorted in beautiful Valentine hearts and boxes of many sizes, shapes and colors.

Mrs. Cavanaugh has always stayed true to her promise “we will never compromise quality ingredients, even if we have to raise the price we will never use cheaper ingredients, cut corners or use inferior products, and you can still taste the difference. Marie is still involved in the business, and it is still family owned and operated. Many of the pieces are named after grandchildren like the famous Mindy Mint, Chad and Brady to name a few.

Ask chocolate aficionados around the world that have tasted the difference. They will direct those seeking the best to the world famous Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Candies. Over the years they have received many awards like best of state, small business of the year and even ranked in the top ten chocolates in the country. Marie has always said “Care enough to give the very best”. The tradition of excellence will continue, only using the best ingredients money can buy creating chocolate masterpieces by hand one piece at a time.

]]>0adminhttp://www.mrscavanaughs.com/home-fashioned-chocolates-blog/?p=62010-01-22T21:14:28Z2010-01-22T21:14:28ZFor over 45 years Mrs. Cavanaugh’s has been creating gourmet chocolates for Valentine’s Day chocolate lovers. Now we have a new and improved, beautiful, user friendly website to match the quality of our chocolates. At www.mrscavanaughs.com is where it all begins. Each page is filled with mouth watering photos of our delicious gourmet boxed chocolates including our famous plump, juicy sweet, chocolate covered Cherries, Nuts & Chew, Cavaliers (turtle), and Most Famous assortments. We also have lots of valentine day chocolates. Each box can be gift wrapped for valentines or you can select one of our hand packed heart shaped valentine chocolate boxes.

Your first decision it to try and decide between our delicious assortments of boxed chocolates for your valentine sweetheart. It is hard choosing between our gourmet boxed chocolates. Traditional, most famous, nut& chews, cavaliers and our world famous chocolate covered cherries are some of the selections.

Your next choice is to create a box. This will please your valentine and satisfy their craving of their favorite valentine day chocolate of their choice. We added this new way to create a box with your favorite valentine chocolates just for you. You can select up to four of your favorite chocolate pieces to create your valentine chocolates box. We will carefully arrange them into your box just the way you want it.

One other great feature is the gift certificate portion of www.mrscavanaughs.com web site. If you want your valentine to select their own valentine chocolate treats you can create a gift certificate in their name for any dollar amount. Then they can log on and select their own favorite valentine chocolates from one of our gourmet boxed chocolates or the can create their own delicious valentine box with their favorite confections.

If you want to taste the best valentine chocolates in the world you have arrive. When you open your box the aroma alone will satisfy your taste buds. After the first bite you will be hooked for life. There is a difference in quality when you use fresh thick crème, real creamy butter and the best velvety smooth chocolate money can buy. One taste of our gourmet boxed chocolates and you will never eat chocolate the same way again. Mrs. Cavanaugh’s chocolates need to be eaten nice and slow so your taste buds can savor every flavor. Our caramel is slow cooked to perfection giving it time to caramelize and bring out the caramel flavor in every bite.

Valentine’s Day is around the corner but you have plenty of time logon to our new site at www.mrscavanaughs.com to find the perfect gift for your valentine sweet heart. Give quality, give the best, give the gift delicious.